Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit Films

Under 17 U.S.C. § 105, copyright protection is not available for any work produced by the United States Government. The First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) was a primary film production unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, based at Hal Roach Studios. Since these films were produced by military personnel (including notable actors and directors like Ronald Reagan and William Wyler) in their official capacity as members of the U.S. armed forces, they are works of the federal government. Consequently, they entered the public domain immediately upon creation. This applies to the entire catalog of training films, documentaries, and propaganda pieces produced by the FMPU in 1944 and throughout its existence.